2024-01-25 08:07:34
Updated Thursday 1/25/2024 01:29 PM Abu Dhabi time
“Short-lived pollutants” is one of the prominent issues to which the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) succeeded in drawing the world’s attention.
While recognizing that carbon dioxide is not the only contributor to climate change, there is a group of short-lived climate pollutants, most notably methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and nitrous oxide, all of which lead to a dramatic rise in temperatures.
Despite this, these elements remain less than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but they cause significant climate impacts.
Together, short-lived pollutants contribute more than 40% of current global warming and therefore deserve in-depth attention.
Greater climate threats
The accuracy of measuring these pollutants continues to improve, engaging satellites, aircraft, and drones in the move toward more accurate inventories.
This routinely reveals pollutant releases much higher than official estimates, indicating greater climate threats than previously acknowledged.
Technological advances in both measurement and mitigation point to many ways in which future releases can be reduced significantly, achieving immediate climate benefits, which was demonstrated in Dubai during COP28, in a large number of meetings, workshops, pledges and announcements focused on… on these pollutants.
US estimates suggest that “accelerated reductions” in these gases could avert up to 0.5°C of temperature rise by mid-century.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) resulted in a very mixed set of local and global commitments to address these pollutants.
But even for methane, which is responsible for about 30% of current global warming, the fundamental policy differences still depend on whether it comes from oil, gas, coal, waste or agriculture, according to Professor Barry Raab. Environmental and Climate Policy, at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.
Hydrofluorocarbons
Climate and environmental policy scientist Barry Raab argues that the rapid development and deployment of HFC alternatives to transform the refrigeration sector remains the gold standard for climate policy.
Regarding the American experience in this field, the sustainable implementation of the “Kigali Amendment” on the basis of the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone, in addition to American legislation and the ratification of treaties, is supported by both the Republican and Democratic parties.
This interest reflects a strong global initiative that supports rapid technological progress through sophisticated regulatory, pricing and trade policy instruments, working in tandem with a unique mechanism to finance global transformation.
During the recent UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), a Global Refrigeration Pledge was made to expand Kigali beyond the chemicals typically used in air conditioning and refrigeration to accelerating the energy efficiency and affordability of emerging refrigeration equipment.
More than 60 countries joined the new Cooling Alliance during the COP to advance this expanded cooling sector mission.
The importance of this pledge stems from the fact that more than four billion people currently lack access to adequate cooling systems, while current cooling already consumes a fifth of global electricity, creating a unique opportunity to expand impacts.
Methane emissions
Fossil fuels contribute about 35% of human-generated methane globally, at a time when global methane mitigation policy is of concern.
A number of oil and gas producing countries are considering policies to reduce venting and flaring, require rapid repair of leaks, use low-emission production equipment, and create more accurate and transparent disclosure systems.
During the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), the United States unveiled a raft of new regulatory provisions and has since presented plans to operationalize a legislative system setting methane release fees on low-performing industries and raising the level of emissions reporting.
Europe has also proposed bold standards to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas it produces and imports, raising the prospect of some form of methane adjustment through globally traded energy.
More than forty major oil and gas production companies, including some nationally owned entities, adopted the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter at COP28, with the goal of ending routine gas flaring and achieving “near zero” emissions by 2030, and moving toward “net zero.” emissions by 2050.
However, implementing these proposals within transparent and effective policy measures remains a major challenge.
In any case, it was striking that short-lived climate pollutants collectively achieved unprecedented importance at COP28, while actual policy development and performance still varied greatly depending on the type and source of pollutants.
Accelerating progress in the cooling, oil and gas sectors seems likely to continue to be offset by more modest steps in the coal, waste and agricultural sectors, with stronger policy engagement remaining a missed opportunity to achieve climate protection in the near term.
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